Cristiano Ronaldo may continue to hold the record for most goals scored in the Champions League. But with five goals, Lionel Messi has a share of the record for most goals scored in a game.
Erling Haaland's five goals in Manchester City's crushing 7-0 victory over RB Leipzig, though, put the Argentine's record in jeopardy this past week.
Pep Guardiola acknowledged that he substituted off Haaland during the Leipzig match to save him from surpassing Messi's record following the FA Cup victory against Burnley.
After the victory over Burnley, where Haaland once again scored three goals, Guardiola commented, "I substituted him so he doesn't break Messi's record.
Haaland's 42 goals across all competitions after his hat-trick win over Burnley matched Cristiano Ronaldo's total from his Ballon d'Or-winning season at Manchester United.
The Norwegian is getting close to matching the 44 goals scored in all competitions during the Premier League by Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy. But his greatest accomplishment will be breaking Dixie Dean's record from the 1920s by scoring 60 goals.
While everything was going on, Lionel Messi's time in the Champions League came to an end following Paris Saint-elimination Germain's by Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.
It will be intriguing to watch if the Argentine will play in the UCL next season given the persistent rumors about his future, particularly given that Saudi Arabian clubs are wooing him with a large contract offer.
Despite Barcelona's desire, Messi is most likely to stay in Europe for at least another year, with a longer stay at PSG being the most likely scenario.
